Gimbal and locking structure

ABSTRACT

A gimbal includes an axis structure including a rotating member, a bearing member rotatably connected to the rotating member, and a locking structure. The rotating member includes a rotor of a motor or a member fixedly connected to a rotor. The bearing member includes a stator of the motor or a member fixedly connected to a stator. The locking structure includes a positioning snap member movably provided on one of the rotating member and the bearing member and configured to engage with another one of the rotating member and the bearing member. The axis structure is a yaw-axis structure, a roll-axis structure or a pitch-axis structure. The motor is configured to control a movement about a pitch axis, a movement about a yaw axis, or a movement about a roll axis. A rotational position of the rotating member relative to the bearing member is locked by the locking structure when the rotating member rotates to a preset position.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 16/989,336,filed on Aug. 10, 2020, which is a continuation of application Ser. No.16/525,052, filed on Jul. 29, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,753,532, whichis a continuation of application Ser. No. 15/906,866, filed on Feb. 27,2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,400,939, which is a continuation applicationof International Application No. PCT/CN2015/088243, filed on Aug. 27,2015, the entire contents of all of which are incorporated herein byreference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure relates to a gimbal and, more particularly, to a lockingstructure for locking a motor shaft of a gimbal in a non-operationalstate and a method of controlling a gimbal.

BACKGROUND

A three-axis gimbal comprises motors for driving the gimbal to rotateabout three axes, including a pitch-axis motor controlling a movementabout a pitch axis, a yaw-axis motor controlling a movement about a yawaxis, and a roll-axis motor controlling a movement about a roll axis. Agimbal can rotate within particular angular ranges about the pitch axis,the yaw axis, and the roll axis, respectively. For example, a gimbal canrotate in an angular range of −135° to +45° about the pitch axis, in anangular range of −330° to +330° about the yaw axis, and in an angularrange of −45° to +45° about the roll axis. In other words, existinggimbals are provided with limiting structures to limit an operatingangle in an operational state. However, attitude of the gimbal is notlocked when the gimbal is in a non-operational state, making itinconvenient to store or transport the gimbal.

SUMMARY

In accordance with the disclosure, there is provided a gimbal includinga yaw-axis structure and a locking structure. The yaw-axis structureincludes a rotating member and a bearing member rotatably connected tothe rotating member. The locking structure is coupled to the rotatingmember and includes a cover fixed on the rotating member with areceiving slot formed between the cover and the rotating member, alocking switch received in the receiving slot and being slidable alongthe receiving slot, and a positioning snap member. One end of thepositioning snap member is connected to the locking switch via anelastic member. Another end of the positioning snap member includes asnap-fit portion configured to be snapped to the bearing member toeffect a yaw-axis locking of the gimbal when the locking switch ispushed downwards to exert a pressure on the positioning snap member viathe elastic member and the snap-fit portion is aligned with a presetposition of the bearing member.

Also in accordance with the disclosure, there is provided a lockingstructure including a cover a locking switch, and a positioning snapmember. The locking structure is configured to be fixed on a rotatingmember of a yaw-axis structure of a gimbal and form a receiving slotbetween the cover and the rotating member. The locking switch isconfigured to be received in the receiving slot and slidable along thereceiving slot. One end of the positioning snap member is connected tothe locking switch via an elastic member, and another end of thepositioning snap member includes a snap-fit portion. The snap-fitportion is configured to be snapped to a bearing member of the yaw-axisstructure to effect a yaw-axis locking of the gimbal when the lockingswitch is pushed downwards to exert a pressure on the positioning snapmember via the elastic member and the snap-fit portion is aligned with apreset position of the bearing member.

Also in accordance with the disclosure, there is provided a handlegimbal including a handle and a gimbal coupled to the handle. The handleincludes a battery compartment. The gimbal including a yaw-axisstructure connected to the handle and including a locking structure, aroll-axis structure connected to the yaw-axis structure and configuredto be rotated by the yaw-axis structure, and a pitch-axis structureconnected to the roll-axis structure and configured to be rotated by theroll-axis structure. The pitch-axis structure is further configured tosupport a load and drive the load to rotate. The yaw-axis structure isconfigured to be locked by the locking structure when the yaw-axisstructure rotates to a preset position in a non-operational state of thegimbal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a structure of a gimbal in accordance with an embodiment ofthe disclosure.

FIG. 2 shows a structure of the gimbal of FIG. 1 viewed from anotherdirection.

FIG. 3 shows an operating angle range of the gimbal of FIG. 1 about ayaw axis in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 4 shows an angle at which the gimbal of FIG. 1 is locked withrespect to the yaw axis in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 5 shows a structure of the gimbal of FIG. 1 with some componentsthereof being removed.

FIG. 6 shows a front view of a locking structure of the gimbal of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 shows a top view of the locking structure of the gimbal of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 shows a sectional view taken along VIII-VIII of FIG. 7 .

FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 show exploded views from different angles of thelocking structure of the gimbal of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 11 shows a perspective view of the locking structure of the gimbalof FIG. 1 in accordance with another embodiment.

FIG. 12 shows the locking structure of the gimbal of FIG. 11 viewed fromanother angle.

FIG. 13 shows a sectional view taken along XIII-XIII of FIG. 12 .

FIG. 14 and FIG. 15 show a process of performing a yaw-axis locking ofthe gimbal of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 16 is a simplified diagram showing the locking structure of thegimbal of FIG. 1 in accordance with another embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a simplified diagram showing the locking structure of thegimbal of FIG. 1 in accordance with yet another embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart of a method of controlling a gimbal in accordancewith embodiments of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Technical solutions of the present disclosure will be described withreference to the drawings. It will be appreciated that embodiments asdescribed in the disclosure are some rather than all of the embodimentsof the present disclosure. Other embodiments, which are conceived bythose having ordinary skills in the art on the basis of the disclosedembodiments without inventive efforts, should fall within the scope ofthe present disclosure.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a gimbal 100 in accordance with an embodiment of thedisclosure. The gimbal 100 can be a three-axis gimbal comprising apitch-axis structure 1, a yaw-axis structure 2, and a roll-axisstructure 3. A camera 4 can be attached to the pitch-axis structure 1. Amotor of the pitch-axis structure 1 can drive the camera 4 to perform apitch movement about the pitch axis. The pitch-axis structure 1 isattached to the roll-axis structure 3, and a motor of the roll-axisstructure 3 can drive the camera 4 to perform a roll movement about theroll axis. The roll-axis structure 3 is attached to the yaw-axisstructure 2, and a motor of the yaw-axis structure 2 can drive thecamera 4 to perform a yaw movement about the yaw axis. The yaw-axisstructure 2 is attached to a base 5 through which the gimbal can bemounted onto a fixing surface (not shown).

The gimbal 100 further comprises a locking structure 6. In someembodiments, as shown in FIG. 1 , the locking structure 6 is provided atthe yaw-axis structure 2 and configured to limit a rotation of thegimbal 100 about the yaw axis in a non-operational state (hereinafterreferred to as a “yaw-axis locking”).

It will be appreciated that, the technical solution provided in thedisclosure can be applied to a two-axis gimbal although a three-axisgimbal is shown throughout the drawings. For example, the lockingstructure 6 can be provided at a yaw-axis structure of a two-axis gimbalto effect a yaw-axis locking when the two-axis gimbal is in anon-operational state.

FIGS. 3 and 4 schematically show the rotation of the gimbal 100 aboutthe yaw axis in the operational and the non-operational states,respectively. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , a Cartesian coordinate systemis established with respect to a center of rotation of the yaw-axisstructure 2 of the gimbal 100 (i.e., the yaw axis, denoted by Y). FIG. 3shows an operating angle range from, e.g., about −330° (i.e., about 330°in a counterclockwise direction) to about +330° (i.e., about 330° in aclockwise direction) of the gimbal 100 about the yaw axis in accordancewith an embodiment. FIG. 4 shows that the roll-axis structure 3 hasrotated about the yaw axis for an angle of, e.g., about −90° (i.e.,about 90° in a counterclockwise direction) when the yaw axis of thegimbal 100 is locked in the non-operational state.

FIGS. 5 to 10 show a structure of the locking structure 6 in accordancewith an embodiment of the disclosure. In some embodiments, as shown inFIGS. 6-10 , the locking structure 6 comprises a locking switch 61, aswitch cap 62, a positioning snap member 63, an elastic member 64, and acover 65.

The cover 65 is fixed onto a rotating member 21 of the yaw-axisstructure 2. In some instances, the cover 65 can be fixed onto therotating member 21 using a screw. A receiving slot 66 is formed betweenthe cover 65 and the rotating member 21. The locking switch 61 and thepositioning snap member 63 are received in the receiving slot 66 andconfigured to be slidable along the receiving slot 66. The switch cap 62is rigidly connected to the locking switch 61. In some embodiments, theswitch cap 62 can be fixed to the locking switch 61 using a screw. Therotating member 21 includes an open slot 211 in which the switch cap 62is received. The switch cap 62 can be slid along the open slot 211, tocontrol the locking switch 61 to slide along the receiving slot 66.

The locking switch 61 is connected to the positioning snap member 63 viathe elastic member 64 (e.g., a spring assembly). A relative movementbetween the positioning snap member 63 and the locking switch 61 can beeffected as the elastic member 64 is capable of being compressed andstretched. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 9 , the locking switch61 has a substantially hollow-square structure. The locking switch 61comprises a cavity 611. An opening 613 is provided at a sidewall 612 ofthe hollow-square structure, such that the cavity 611 of the lockingswitch 61 is in communication with an exterior of the locking switch 61.One end of the positioning snap member 63 has a T-shaped structure. AT-head 631 (head of the T-shaped structure) of the positioning snapmember 63 can be accommodated in the cavity 611 of the locking switch 61and connected to a sidewall 614 of the cavity 611 of the locking switch61 opposite to the opening 613 via the elastic member 64. Except for theT-head 631, remaining portion (not labeled in the drawings) of thepositioning snap member 63 can be positioned exterior to the lockingswitch 61 and can be continuous to the T-head 631 through the opening613 of the locking switch 61. The other end of the positioning snapmember 63 includes a snap-fit portion 632. In some embodiments, when thegimbal 100 is in the non-operational state, the gimbal 100 can berotated about the yaw axis until the snap-fit portion 632 reaches apreset position of a bearing member 22. The bearing member 22 can besnapped at the preset position to effect the yaw-axis locking of thegimbal. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 8 , an opening 221 isprovided at the preset position of the bearing member 22 of the yaw-axisstructure 2. The snap-fit portion 632 of the positioning snap member canbe snapped into the opening 221 to effect the yaw-axis locking of thegimbal 100, thereby preventing the gimbal 100 from rotating about theyaw axis.

A configuration of the bearing member 22 and the rotating member 21 canbe determined according to actual needs. In some embodiments, thebearing member 22 can be a stator of a motor, and the rotating member 21can be a rotor of a motor. In some other embodiments, the bearing member22 can be a component fixedly connected to a stator of a motor, and therotating member 21 can be a component fixedly connected to a rotor of amotor.

In some other embodiments, the opening 221 can be replaced by a recess.For instance, a recess can be provided at the preset position of thebearing member 22 of the yaw-axis structure 2. The yaw-axis locking ofthe gimbal 100 in the non-operational state can be effected by thesnap-fit portion 632 of the positioning snap member 63 mating with therecess. In the example shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , a preset lockingposition in the non-operational state is at about −90° (i.e., 90° in acounterclockwise direction). The yaw-axis locking of the gimbal 100 canbe effected by rotating the gimbal about the yaw axis to the lockingposition and snap the snap-fit portion into the opening 221.

Referring to FIGS. 11 to 13 , in some embodiments, the yaw-axisstructure 2 further comprises a limiting member 68. The limiting member68 can mate with the positioning snap member 63 to limit the positioningsnap member 63 when the positioning snap member 63 is slid to a lockedposition or a released position.

In the illustrative embodiment shown in FIGS. 11 to 13 , the limitingmember 68 includes an elastic pillar. The locking switch 61, which isconnected to the positioning snap member 63, includes two limiting slots61 a and 61 b. The elastic pillar can be held in the limiting slot 61 bwhen the positioning snap member 63 is slid to the locked position, andthe elastic pillar can be held in the other limiting slot 61 a when thepositioning snap member 63 is slid to the released position. In someembodiments, the two limiting slots 61 a and 61 b can be directlyprovided at the positioning snap member 63.

In some other embodiments, the limiting member 68 can include an elasticsheet. In these embodiments, the locking switch 61, which is connectedto the positioning snap member 63, can include two bosses. The elasticsheet can be held at one of the bosses when the positioning snap member63 is slid to the locked position, and the elastic pillar can be held atthe other one of the bosses when the positioning snap member 63 is slidto the released position. In some embodiments, the two bosses can bedirectly provided on the positioning snap member 63.

A process of automatically locking the yaw axis of the gimbal will bedescribed below in detail.

When the switch cap 62 is positioned in proximity to or at an upper endof the open slot 211 of the rotating member 21, the locking switch 61,which is rigidly connected to the switch cap 62, can be positioned inproximity to an upper end of the receiving slot 66 or at an upper end ofthe receiving slot 66. The positioning snap member 63 can be lifted upby the locking switch 61 via the elastic member 64, such that thesnap-fit portion 632 of the positioning snap member 63 is disengagedfrom the opening 221 of the yaw-axis bearing member 22 and the yaw axisof the gimbal 100 is thus unlocked. A normal operation of the gimbal canbe performed when the yaw axis of the gimbal 100 is unlocked.

If the yaw axis of the gimbal 100 is to be locked when the gimbal 100 isin a non-operational state, the switch cap 62 can be moved downwards todrive the locking switch 61 to move downwards in the receiving slot 66.The elastic member 64 can be compressed by the locking switch 61 tocause a downward movement of the positioning snap member 63. At thispoint, if the gimbal 100 is not at the preset locked position, thegimbal 100 would not be locked as the snap-fit portion of thepositioning snap member 63 is not aligned with the opening 221 of thebearing member 22, as shown in FIG. 14 .

The gimbal 100 can be rotated about the yaw axis to drive the lockingstructure 6 to rotate. The locking structure 6 can thus be movedrelative to the bearing member 22 of the yaw-axis structure 2 of thegimbal 100. When the positioning snap member 63 is rotated to a positioncorresponding to the opening 221 of the bearing member 22, thepositioning snap member 63 can be moved downwards under the pressure ofthe elastic member 64, such that the snap-fit portion 632 enters theopening 221 to engage with the bearing member 22, thereby effecting theyaw-axis locking of the gimbal 100, as shown in FIG. 15 .

FIG. 16 is a simplified diagram showing the locking structure 6 inaccordance with another embodiment. A positioning snap member 63′ can bedriven to rotate about a shaft 67. The positioning snap member 63′comprises an engaging end 633 and a driving end 634. The shaft 67 isprovided between the engaging end 633 and the driving end 634. Theengaging end 633 can be configured to engage with the bearing member 22.The driving end 634 is connected to an elastic member 64′, which iscapable of exerting a force onto the driving end 634. The engaging end633 can be engaged with the bearing member 22 under the force exertedfrom the elastic member 64′ when the bearing member 22 is rotatedrelative to the rotating member 21 to a preset position. In addition,the locking switch can push the driving end 634 to lift up the engagingend 633, such that the engaging end 633 is disengaged from the bearingmember 22. In some embodiments, the elastic member 64′ can be an elasticcompressing member for providing a pushing force onto the driving end634. The bearing member 22 can be provided with a recess 222. Theengaging end 633 of the positioning snap member 63′ can be engaged withthe bearing member 22 by snapping to the recess 222 of the bearingmember 22.

FIG. 17 is a simplified diagram showing the locking structure 6 inaccordance with yet another embodiment. Different from the configurationshown in FIG. 16 , the elastic member 64′ can be an elastic stretchingmember and connected to the driving end 634 of the positioning snapmember 63′. The positioning snap member 63′ can be maintained to bedisengaged from the bearing member 22 under an elastic force of theelastic member 64′. The engaging end 633 can be pushed by the lockingswitch to engage with the bearing member 22 when the bearing member 22is rotated relative to the rotating member 21 to a preset position.

In some other embodiments, the locking structure 6 can be provided atthe bearing member 22. The yaw-axis locking of the gimbal 100 can beeffected by engaging the locking structure 6 with the rotating member21.

FIG. 18 illustrates a method of controlling the gimbal 100. As shown inFIG. 18 , at 70, the bearing member 22 is rotated to a preset position.At 71, a rotational position of the bearing member 22 relative to therotating member 21 is locked, placing the yaw-axis structure 2 into alocked state. At 72, a position of the positioning snap member 63 or 63′is restored to unlock the yaw-axis structure 2.

In some embodiments, locking the rotational position of the bearingmember 22 relative to the rotating member 21 (process 71 in FIG. 18 )can comprise pushing the positioning snap member 63 or 63′ to protrudeor rotate, such that the positioning snap member 63 or 63′ is snapped toa corresponding one of the rotating member 21 and the bearing member 22.

In some embodiments, restoring the position of the positioning snapmember 63 or 63′ to unlock the yaw-axis structure 2 (process 72 in FIG.18 ) can comprise restoring the position of the positioning snap member63 or 63′ to unlock the yaw-axis structure by an elastic restoring forceprovided by the elastic member 64 or 64′ connected to the positioningsnap member 63 or 63′. In some other embodiments, the position of thepositioning snap member 63 or 63′ can be restored to unlock the yaw-axisstructure by raising or reversely rotating the positioning snap member63 or 63′ using the locking switch 61 or 61′.

The gimbal 100 can be applied to various types of gimbal mechanisms,such as a gimbal onboard an unmanned aerial vehicle, a gimbal onboard aland vehicle, a handle gimbal, or a handheld gimbal. For example, thegimbal 100 can be used in a handle gimbal which comprises a handle andthe gimbal 100. The handle can include a battery compartment for one ormore batteries. The gimbal 100 can be coupled to the handle. Forexample, the yaw-axis structure 2 of the gimbal 100 can be connected tothe handle. The roll-axis structure 3 can be connected to the yaw-axisstructure 2 and can be rotated by the yaw-axis structure 2. Thepitch-axis structure 1 can be connected to the roll-axis structure 3 andcan be rotated by the roll-axis structure 3. The pitch-axis structure 1can be configured to support a load and drive the load to rotate. Theyaw-axis structure 2 can include the locking structure 5. When theroll-axis structure 3 is rotated by the yaw-axis structure 2 to a presetposition in a non-operational state of the gimbal, the rotating member21 and the bearing member 22 of the yaw-axis structure 2, which arerotatable with respect to one another, can be engaged with each other bythe snap-fit portion of the locking structure, such that the yaw-axisstructure 2 is locked.

According to the gimbal 100, the locking structure of the gimbal 100,and the method of controlling the gimbal 100 provided by embodiments ofthe disclosure, when the gimbal 100 rotates about the yaw axis while thegimbal 100 is in the non-operational state, the positioning snap membercan be pushed out at a preset position to engage with the rotatingmember 21 or the bearing member 22 of the yaw-axis structure 2, toeffect the yaw-axis locking of the gimbal 100 in the non-operationalstate. Furthermore, the yaw-axis locking of the gimbal 100 in thenon-operational state can be conveniently effected as the presetposition can be reached automatically using the elastic member.

The foregoing disclosure is merely illustrative of the embodiments ofthe disclosure but not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure.Any equivalent modifications to a structure or process flow, which aremade without departing from the specification and the drawings of thedisclosure, and a direct or indirect application in other relevanttechnical fields, shall also fall into the scope of the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A gimbal comprising: an axis structure including:a rotating member including a rotor of a motor or a member fixedlyconnected to a rotor; a bearing member rotatably connected to therotating member and including a stator of the motor or a member fixedlyconnected to a stator; and a locking structure including a positioningsnap member movably provided on one of the rotating member and thebearing member and configured to engage with another one of the rotatingmember and the bearing member, wherein the axis structure is a yaw-axisstructure, a roll-axis structure or a pitch-axis structure, and themotor is configured to control a movement about a pitch axis, a movementabout a yaw axis, or a movement about a roll axis, a rotational positionof the rotating member relative to the bearing member being locked bythe locking structure when the rotating member rotates to a presetposition.
 2. The gimbal of claim 1, wherein the locking structurefurther includes: an elastic member configured to provide an elasticrestoring force to the positioning snap member, to automatically restorea position of the positioning snap member.
 3. The gimbal of claim 2,wherein: the positioning snap member is rotatably connected to the oneof the rotating member and the bearing member.
 4. The gimbal of claim 3,wherein: the locking structure further includes a locking switch coupledwith the positioning snap member; and the positioning snap member isconfigured to be driven by the elastic member to rotate relative to thelocking switch to automatically enter a locked state.
 5. The gimbal ofclaim 2, wherein the locking structure further includes: a lockingswitch coupled with the positioning snap member and configured to drivethe positioning snap member to move relative to the one of the rotatingmember and the bearing member.
 6. The gimbal of claim 5, wherein thelocking switch is configured to drive the positioning snap member tomove to put the positioning snap member in an unlocked state.
 7. Thegimbal of claim 5, wherein the locking switch is slidably connected tothe one of the rotating member and the bearing member, and is configuredto drive the positioning snap member to move relative to the other oneof the rotating member and the bearing member, such that the positioningsnap member is engaged with or disengaged from the other one of therotating member and the bearing member.
 8. The gimbal of claim 5,wherein one end of the positioning snap member is connected to theelastic member and another end of the positioning snap member includes asnap-fit portion configured to be snapped to the other one of therotating member and the bearing member to effect an axis locking of thegimbal.
 9. The gimbal of claim 8, wherein the locking switch isconfigured to be pushed downwards to exert a pressure on the positioningsnap member, such that the snap-fit portion of the positioning snapmember is disengaged from the other one of the rotating member and thebearing member.
 10. The gimbal of claim 5, wherein the positioning snapmember and the locking switch are configured to move relative to eachother.
 11. The gimbal of claim 5, wherein: the locking switch isconfigured to drive the positioning snap member to rotate about a shaft.12. The gimbal of claim 2, wherein the positioning snap member isconfigured to engage with the other one of the rotating member and thebearing member under an elastic force of the elastic member in responseto the bearing member rotating relative to the rotating member to thepreset position.
 13. The gimbal of claim 2, wherein the elastic memberis configured to, at the preset position, push out the positioning snapmember, such that the positioning snap member engages with the rotatingmember or the bearing member, realizing locking of the axis structure ina non-operational state of the gimbal.
 14. The gimbal of claim 2,wherein the elastic member includes an elastic compressing member forproviding a pushing force onto the positioning snap member.
 15. A handlegimbal comprising: a handle including a battery compartment; and agimbal including an axis structure coupled to the handle and including:a rotating member including a rotor of a motor or a member fixedlyconnected to a rotor; a bearing member rotatably connected to therotating member and including a stator of the motor or a member fixedlyconnected to a stator; and a locking structure including a positioningsnap member movably provided on one of the rotating member and thebearing member and configured to engage with another one of the rotatingmember and the bearing member; wherein the axis structure is a yaw-axisstructure, a roll-axis structure or a pitch-axis structure, and themotor is configured to control a movement about a pitch axis, a movementabout a yaw axis, or a movement about a roll axis, a rotational positionof the rotating member relative to the bearing member being locked bythe locking structure when the rotating member rotates to a presetposition.